Podcast Summary: Coffeez for Closers with Joe Shalaby

Episode: From Super Bowl to Setback to Success ft. Setema Gali

Date: November 7, 2025
Host: Joseph Shalaby
Guest: Setema Gali (Super Bowl Champion, Founder & CEO of Game Changer)

Overview

This episode of "Coffeez for Closers" features a powerful conversation between Joseph Shalaby and Setema Gali—former NFL Super Bowl champion turned transformational coach. The episode traces Setema’s journey from achieving the heights of professional sports, through financial and emotional collapse, to his rebirth as a mentor and game-changer for entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone seeking to shift their mindset. Together, they discuss resilience, purpose, vulnerability, and how to define true success and legacy, making this episode a compelling listen for entrepreneurs and professionals facing adversity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Morning Routine and Discipline

[00:31 - 01:03]

• Setema’s daily routine: Wakes up with gratitude, practices a visualization exercise (“Conscious of Creation”), sets daily targets, hydrates, eats protein, and hits the gym.
• Quote:
  • Setema: “As soon as my feet hit the ground—gratitude. … Then I do something called the Daily Focus: gratitude, targets for the day.” (00:34)

2. Origins and Purpose of Game Changer

[01:03 - 02:47]

• Setema’s inspiration came from reading “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” as a young missionary. He envisioned inspiring others, like his mentors (Covey, Rohn, Ziglar), to “break generational curses” and “shift the trajectory” for their families.
• Game Changer offers transformation via seminars, books, a podcast, and long-term coaching.
• Quote:
  • Setema: “If you feel called to do something significant… Game Changer is for you. … We help you become the person who breaks generational curses.” (01:45)

3. Family Background and Cultural Roots

[04:00 - 08:15]

• Setema is from a large Samoan family of musicians and entertainers; he was the only one who played football.
• Raised with strong Polynesian values: family first, hard work, respect for elders. These roots continue to drive him.
• On parenting and generational perspective: “Our parents did the best they could with what they had. … I’m doing the best that I can with what I have to help my sons be the best they can be.” (06:29)

4. Early Life, Faith, and Personal Development

[08:15 - 10:33]

• Setema describes himself as not initially athletic, more into music and dance, but developed positivity and ambition.
• At 14, he had a spiritual conversion, deepened faith, and wrote a goal in his journal to get a scholarship to BYU, setting him on his path.
• “I am the man who loves his life, and I do, absolutely do.” (10:17)

5. Transformation Through Football

[10:33 - 11:56]

• Football taught him how to overcome adversity, the value of hard work, and the importance of identifying and embracing one’s unique gifts.
• Three key lessons from football:
  1. Overcoming adversity (injuries, setbacks)
  2. Hard and consistent work
  3. Finding and leveraging personal gifts

6. The Super Bowl: Triumph and Its Price

[13:07 - 15:24]

• After financial collapse during the 2008 recession, Setema was forced to sell his Super Bowl ring to support his family—a deeply emotional moment.
• “I want you to imagine you worked your whole life for something … and then … you got to give it up. I cried because, you know, 50, 60 guys a year get that.” (15:03)
• On winning the Super Bowl: “When we won … grown men are like, ‘We did it.’ We’re hugging, we’re crying. One of the top experiences of my life for sure.” (15:28)

7. Hitting Rock Bottom & Rebuilding

[17:00 - 21:25]

• Four years lost: 2008-2011 marked by deep depression, bankruptcy, and feelings of despair.
• Setema’s “comeback” began while working as a door-to-door salesman for Vivint security systems. He recommitted fully, outworking much younger colleagues and setting a new example for persistence.
• “I put my head down, I put my blinders on and I went all in. … That was me. I kept seeing the faces of my family, my parents, my children— that was my why.” (18:27)
• “Tough times don’t last, but the best people and the tough people do.” (25:55)

8. Embracing Vulnerability and Authenticity

[21:53 - 23:09]

• Setema explains how his emotional vulnerability—once a source of embarrassment—is now his greatest asset in connecting deeply with others and helping them change.
• “I’m gonna be real with people. … I’m not gonna live this fake life, this pretend life, and if I feel it, I’m gonna share it.” (22:44)

9. Advice for Professionals Facing Adversity

[23:09 - 26:42]

• In tough times, remember your “why,” your deepest reasons for pushing forward.
• “You’re going to get up and fight and slay the dragon. Or will you cower and go live the safe route and give up and tuck your tail and throw the towel?” (24:30)
• Success is about withstanding adversity, getting back up, and choosing your “hard.”
• Setema shares mantras with his sons: “Get knocked down?” “Get back up.” “You can have anything in life…” “If you pay the price.” (26:05)

10. Redefining Success and Legacy

[26:42 - 30:27]

• Success = What you achieve + Who you become along the way. Personal and professional results must be meaningful and personal.
• On legacy: “Legacy is not about what you leave with people. It’s about what you leave in people.” (29:07)
• Setema wants his legacy to be his example—trust, purpose, impact—not just financial inheritance.

11. Goals and Final Reflections

[30:27 - End]

• Personal goal: Win a bodybuilding competition (“I’m not going to compete, I want to win.”) (30:48)
• Family goal: Better communication and patience with his teenage sons.
• Game Changer goal: Get his book “Game Changer” into a million hands.
• On arriving at the “pearly gates”: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant… you did what you were supposed to do. … I gave it everything I had.” (32:28)

Selected Notable Quotes

• On Resilience:
  “Tough times don’t last, but the best people and the tough people do.” — Setema Gali (25:55)

• On Family and Motivation:
  “One of my drivers that drives me and pushes me is to make my mom and dad proud. … I want them to just be like, that’s our boy. That’s our son.” (05:42)

• On Authenticity:
  “I’m gonna be real with people. I’m not gonna live this fake life… if I feel it, I’m gonna share it.” (22:44)

• On Leaning Into Hardship:
  “It’s hard to be broke. It’s hard to run a business. … Choose your hard.” (25:38)

• On Legacy:
  “Legacy is not about what you leave with people. It’s about what you leave in people.” (29:07)

• On Defining Success:
  “Success is what you achieve and who you become together.” (28:28)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Morning Routine and Mindset: 00:31 – 01:03
• What is Game Changer: 01:03 – 02:47
• Cultural and Family Roots: 04:00 – 08:15
• The “Why” and Early Faith: 09:28 – 10:33
• Lessons from Football: 11:51 – 11:56
• Losing Everything & The Super Bowl Ring: 13:07 – 15:24
• Hitting Rock Bottom & Climbing Out: 17:00 – 21:25
• Advice for Hard Times: 23:09 – 26:42
• Defining Success & Legacy: 26:42 – 30:27
• Personal, Family, and Business Goals: 30:27 – 32:28

Tone and Language

The conversation is candid, motivational, and warm. Both Joe and Setema share personal stories and use everyday language, with Setema in particular expressing intense emotion and humility. The episode delivers real talk on failure, perseverance, family, faith, and what it truly means to be a “game changer”—on the field, in business, and in life.

For connection:
Setema invites people to reach out via his website (setemagali.com), Instagram, Facebook, or pick up his book “Game Changer.”

End of summary